19-03-2025
In Depth with United Way's Roxann Sebest
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – WKBN Community Affairs Director Dee Crawford sits down with United Way's Roxann Sebest to talk about the organization's work in the Valley.
United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley has been around for 106 years, but it's been in the last 15 years that it's directive has been to look the community and its unique needs.
'During that time, we saw that education, our school systems needed some extra help, and emergency services were still a huge need — food, clothing, shelter, that was still something that the community needed. So in that last 10 years, we've made that shift to really focus on early education, programming Success By Six, Success After Six, really providing wraparound services for the children and their families,' Sebest said.
United Way has broken a record with $3.7 million raised in the community and another $1 million in federal grants to help with its programming.
Payroll deductions for United Way have decreased. Sebest said it used to account for 70% of their fundraising campaign and now it's just 40%.
'So, we needed to make up those funds. We were able to do that through private donations, bigger corporate gifts. A lot of people seeing what we're doing and making those larger gifts,'she said. 'We really needed to diversify our giving not just workplace campaigns.
Dee continues the conversation Wednesday and drills down in to the specific programs United Way has to offer.
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